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Melbourne presents myriad mesmerizing motifs. A sporty, arty and vibrant city, the history of Melbourne is a typical rags-to-riches story with liberal doses of romance, legend and chivalry thrown in for good measure. Early Days Australia has been the hunting ground for colonists from various countries. The city of Melbourne was founded in 1835 on the banks of the Yarra River, Victoria by the British colonialists looking for a safe haven from French aggression. Melbourne was originally named Batmania before being officially re-christened Melbourne in 1837 after Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister of Britain. Melbourne history is the stuff that legends are made of. What started off as an assortment of tents and huts soon progressed to include quite a few brick and mortar buildings within ten years of the inception of the settlement. But then it is no wonder considering that the rich pastures and the fertile lands of Melbourne had long caught the eyes of the “gold diggers”. Melbourne rose up the political and administrative ladder of Australia with its establishment as the administrative hub of the Port Phillip District, New South Wales. It was around this period that Melbourne started acquiring the look of a real-life city with personages like Charles La Trobe and Robert Hoddle establishing quite a few Melbourne parks and gardens and the layout of today’s Central Business District respectively. Melbourne continued its march towards prosperity and political liberation with the recognition of Victoria as an independent colony in July 1851. Charles La Trobe was the first Lieutenant Governor. But the heydays were yet to come before Melbourne got the Midas touch. The Gold Rush & Melbourne’s Metamorphosis Gold glittered in Australia in 1851, mostly at Ballarat and Bendigo, near Melbourne. With gold came the masses and Melbourne’s population doubled within a year. People came with gold in their eyes but not all were lucky. The not-so-lucky ones tried their luck at the various service and manufacturing units that spawned in Melbourne to feed the gold mines and the gold-generated towns. The history of Melbourne was passing through one of its shining phases during this time, whence it came to be regarded as the largest city in Australia and was so till the later parts of the 19th century. Meanwhile gold gushed forth, for the next forty years and the history of Melbourne witnessed unprecedented expansion of its territories. The coming of erudite and cultured gold miners also saw Melbourne develop culturally. Schools, churches, libraries and art galleries were set up in abundance and soon there were also clamors for self-rule. Victoria was granted her own constitution in 1856 followed by a fully responsible government the very next year. The history of Melbourne, Australia will prove that Melbourne did full justice to the faith reposed in her and the responsibilities entrusted to her. Melbourne also developed a system of trams and trains that was hailed as being one of the most developed in the world at that time. Then came the International Exhibition of 1880 that also brought forth the title ‘Marvelous Melbourne’ and established Melbourne as a happening city. From A Colony To A Nation Capital Like all other great cities of the world, the history of Melbourne too went through its share of high inflation and unemployment rates, stock market crashes and financial fiascos, in the early 1890s. During this time Sydney overrode it as the largest city in Australia. But nonetheless, the past laurels of Melbourne were enough for it to get qualified as the seat of government of the new Commonwealth of Australia. The honors were however transferred to Canberra in 1927. Melbourne may have been stripped of its honors, but post-Second World War, a historical overview of Melbourne shows an amazing boom period. This boom was partly fueled by the multitude of migrants who landed on its shores. There were people from Britain, Holland, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Lebanon and Turkey who made Melbourne their home, contributed to the city’s financial and cultural development and gave to the place its unique multi-ethnic character. The population of Melbourne rose in rapid strides accompanied by large-scale infrastructural and industrial development. A Melbourne overview will show that today it is the financial and cultural hub of Australia, matching Sydney pace for pace. A self-propelled city, the history of Melbourne is intriguing and inspirational. This is because Melbourne history is more the story of masses determined to establish Melbourne as a force to reckon with.
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